


Daydream in Green

by redblue



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Greek Mythology, Eren is a nymph, Eren is extremely enthusiastic and Levi is grumpy, Eren knows nothing about technology or modern life, Fluff, Humor, Levi is a businessman, M/M, Mikasa and Levi are related, Multi, Nonbinary Hange Zoë, mature for language, possible future smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-14
Updated: 2015-05-17
Packaged: 2018-03-30 13:57:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3939406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redblue/pseuds/redblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi is a serious businessman with no tolerance for horseplay. Eren is a nymph, a free spirit of nature who has come to the city of Trost for a secret mission under the rule of the gods. He knows nothing about the world of modern civilization, and when Levi saves him one morning, Eren befriends the grumpy thirty year old in hopes of showing him the magic and happiness of life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Nymph is a Man's Best Friend

**Author's Note:**

> So, this fanfic was inspired by my own desire to write more oblivious, energetic, happy Eren, since my other fanfic [Hurts Like Heaven](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3874036/chapters/8658565), only has a sad, angsty Eren. It's like two sides of the same coin, aha. I really wanted to play with the idea of Eren helping a very grumpy Levi see that life is worth living and appreciating to the fullest. 
> 
> Title inspired by the song _Daydream in Blue_ because the song matches the feel of nature.
> 
>  **NOTE:** I know that nymphs in Greek Mythology are female, but this is fiction, and in fiction it's okay to stretch the boundaries. More about Eren's identity and mission will be talked about in later chapters. This is just a fun introduction.

There are a few things that Levi had grown accustomed to here in Trost, one of the busiest cities in the world.

One: He was used to the buildings, tall sky-scrapers that surrounded his walk to work. They were sleek and new, windows cluttering the edges as workers peered to the outside world below them. They stood at different heights, and his own company was one of the biggest towers there, his office giving him a clear, magnificent view of the city.

Two: The ground differed from the beauty of the city. People: gross. Crowds: gross. Traffic: gross. Gum on the floor: disgusting. He hated how every morning, he could wake up even when it was dark and hear the soft beeps below him. There was too much happening at once. The hustle of the tourists, shoving by him, stopping his steady walk so they could get a ‘nice picture’. It was hassle. 

Three: Coffee kept him sane. The numerous cafes on the way to work were practically enchanting. The taste on his tongue kept him buzzed and alert, and got him through the day. Trost was well known for its perfect coffee, and from every direction he could catch a whiff, letting the scent comfort him.

What he did _NOT_ expect to find in Trost, so unlike all his other, normal days, was a naked male bounding happily through the packed streets.

The excessive honking was what first drew the attention of multiple passersby’s. Loud muttering and laughing suddenly sounded, people leaning out their windows to scream at the random.

He was average height, a bit taller than Levi. Brown hair laid loose and wavy on his head, bouncing backwards with the soft curl of wind. His skin was a tanned brown, light freckles on his shoulders, as if he’d been out in the sun for a long time. Even from where he stood, Levi could see those bright green eyes, encasing the world within each round hue.

He was absolutely naked, and laughing hysterically as he bounced along the streets, mirth on his expression and joy in his step.

Levi heard someone beside him say, “What the flying fuck,” and he nodded.

Exactly what he was thinking.

The youth was weaving around traffic before, eventually, he walked in a lane where a taxi was rushing forward in an attempt to pass the currently paused lanes.

The boy, still naked and still attracting way too much attention, didn’t seem to notice the loud honking as the vehicle raced forward.

Levi didn’t even have time to mutter a solid, ‘fuck’ before he was throwing himself forward. His body hit the youth’s, the taxi whizzing past them as they flew to the ground. The businessman twisted their bodies, not wanting the boy’s bare skin to scrap the pavement. They hit the ground hard, and Levi groaned, barely aware of the way his hands were touching a smooth back.

The taxi driver stopped. People were yelling, but only a few. Most people didn’t even bother to stop. They lay on a white line that indicated a split of the street, and behind them more vehicles were honking, trying to pass.

Levi felt his anger growing. He’d just wanted a peaceful morning. One where his feet were the only thing that touched the disgusting ground.

And now his back and hair lay on filthy floor, too.

“Oi. What the fuck?” he growled, finally lifting his head to look at the human he’d caught.

The brunette lifted his head off Levi's chest, eyes sparkling- a grand, radiant smile stretching across his face. It seemed he’d barely processed the situation, nor did he care.

“Oi, what the fuck!” the stranger repeated back to him, but his tone was happy. Testing the words on his lips… like he’d never heard them, and was happy to learn this new language. “What the fuck!” A pause, smile never faltering as he peered down at Levi. “Is that how you greet each other? Shall I tackle you, now, too?” He didn’t wait for an answer, and instead began getting up.

That’s when the taxi driver reached them, patting the boy on the shoulder.

“Hey, are you alright, kid? Took a nasty fall, huh.”

The youth smiled brilliantly. “What the fuck!” The taxi driver raised his eyebrows, but the strange boy kept speaking. “I am alright. Are you alright?” He put his hand on the taxi driver’s shoulder, mirroring the motion.

The taxi driver said nothing, staring at him before shaking his head. “Just another day in Trost, I suppose.”

The youth nodded knowingly, playing along. Like he was trying desperately to fit in, yet couldn’t contain his giggles. “Yes. Just another day in Trost.”

There was a pause in the air when the youth suddenly glanced at the taxi, a grin erupting against his lips. “What an exquisite creature! I’ve never seen anything like it! There are many populated around here. We don’t have these where I’m from.” The brunette then crouched on bent knees, pressing his ear to the car’s front door, nodding eagerly. “She purrs so loudly! What a pretty noise!” Then the youth furrowed his eyebrows, tilting his head to look at the driver. “I’m sorry. Perhaps she is a male. I shouldn’t assume.”

Both the taxi driver and Levi were staring at the youth, and the driver mumbled an exasperated, “Drugs, man,” before decidedly getting in his taxi and continuing on the slow road.

The boy waved an arm at the car sadly before turning to Levi, a smile on his face.

“I am Eren, first male nymph of the ocean, brother of nature, child of the gods.” Both hands outstretched to grasp Levi’s, squeezing his fingers within his clasped palms, and the older man just looked on with narrowed eyelids. “I thank you for your warm welcoming and I humbly accept your appeal for friendship.”

Levi took one last look at him before turning away and walking in the complete opposite direction, not bothering to utter another word.

 

It didn’t work in getting rid of him. 

Eren was oblivious to everything around him, only going off of his own feelings. He followed the man with a smile, bounding behind him silently and gawking at the city’s landscape with awe.

It took Levi a minute to figure out that more than a dozen people had been recording the accident that morning, all of them close enough to even capture the strange male’s words.

Levi had decided to regard the whole thing as a dream.

Even when Eren followed him into his company’s building, walking through the twisting doors (and almost getting lost in his enjoyment of them, before he found his way out and continued to follow the man), Levi would continue to believe this nonsense had not just happened to him.

The youth waved happily to a few people in the large, grand lobby. “What the fuck!” he greeted, not noticing the irritated stares he got. “What the fuck!”

Before Levi passed the restricted area reserved only for employees, he slipped off his long black coat and set it along the youth’s shoulders. When the boy stared at him, a tilt of his head given in confusion, Levi sighed. He slipped Eren’s arms through the sleeves, then tied the coat around his waist, finally hiding his genitalia. Eren fingered the cloth, lifting the buttons and pockets in interest.

He regarded the weird boy one last time before entering with his employee badge. Behind him, he heard Eren struggling to get in, but without his pass, the glass door wouldn’t open.

Levi refused to turn around, telling himself the image of the youth watching him leave beyond twisted hallways was only his imagination. 

Old age must finally be catching up to him.

 

It was a few hours later and a bit after lunchtime when he had to deal with it again.

The phone on his desk beeped, and he absentmindedly pressed the button to answer the call.

“Yes, Petra?”

“Mr. Ackerman, you’re wanted in the lobby.” A nervous pause. “Apparently your guest is causing too much of a distraction.”

Levi frowned, staring at the phone. He’d only just forgotten about his odd, whimsical morning, and was deeply focused on his work. He wasn’t in the mood for this.

“He’s not my guest, and it’s not my problem.”

Petra cleared her throat, and he could tell she was probably fidgeting anxiously from her desk. “Yes, sir, but you see… other employees are requesting that you deal with it.”

Levi pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. He took a second to reply, gathering all the calm that he could. “And how does anyone know I’m acquainted with him?”

Petra seemed more nervous than before. “There are videos surfacing, sir. Of you saving the boy. Now people assume you two are associated.”

Levi stood, too irritated to stay seated. “Thank you, Petra. I’ll handle it.”

“Yes, sir.” The line disconnected, and Levi was out the door of his large office, taking the sleek elevator downstairs.

At the solid age of 30, Levi had taken a detour from life. Every breathing moment and every thought was dedicated to his work. He was like any average businessman. No play, just work. People referred to him as an ‘untouchable bachelor’, a single grown (attractive) man with no intentions of any relationship, whether sexual or romantic. His coworkers had to drag him out at least once a week, or else he’d be holed up in his apartment and office 24/7. He hated interruptions, and he hated not getting things done in time. He liked his job. It kept him preoccupied.

This kind of distraction was just unacceptable.

When he entered the lobby, grey eyes scanned the large area until he finally found the youth. The coat was still tight around his waist, but because Levi was a bit shorter, it only reached Eren’s mid-thighs. He stood next to a large man with broad shoulders and blond hair. Another figure stood with them, brown hair pulled into a ponytail, and glasses on their face.

He neared just in time to hear Eren greeting them, seeing his hand first set on Erwin’s shoulder.

“What the fuck. It’s nice to meet you!” Said happily as he looked at the worker in his tailored suit, before looking at Hange, another one of Levi’s coworkers. “What the fuck! It’s nice to meet you, also.”

Erwin was chuckling, blatantly confused but amused nevertheless, while Hange was bombarding him with questions.

“Who taught you to talk like that?”

The youth tilted his head, the smile still there, but now a little confusion was placed within it. “My friend. He is here, in this building. I’m waiting for him.”

That’s when Levi walked up to them, a scowl on his features, and Eren bounced on his toes as he noticed them, lifting a hand.

“My friend!”

Erwin and Hange turned, and the two were soon grinning, seeing that it was their grumpy boss who the youth was inferring to. “Mr. Ackerman,” Erwin greeted, but Hange didn’t bother with formalities.

“You’ve got yourself a little friend, huh, Levi?”

Levi didn’t answer her, instead turning to give Eren his more sinister glare, which didn’t seem to be working. “You. Get out of the building or I’ll get security.”

Eren just simply stared back. “Who is Security? Are they a friend?”

Levi was done regarding him with confusion. Instead he answered back spitefully. “No. They’re mean, and they’ll remove you from the premises. This building is for employees or customers only. You’re loitering.”

Eren nodded slowly, repeating the words as if swallowing them. “I’m loitering.”

Levi nodded, too, encouraging him. “Yes. Now leave.”

The youth smiled. “Okay! I understand!” With that, he bounded away, and the three watched as his coat rode up a bit, almost revealing his rounded bottom. Levi sighed, turning back towards the restricted area, ignoring the fact that Erwin and Hange were now following him.

“What was that about?” Erwin asked, amusement still in his voice.

“Who the fuck knows? Get back to work.”

Hange was grinning, always so relentless. “You’ve found a friend, Levi! This is so exciting! Was that your coat I saw on him? Are you in love with him? Why was he greeting everyone like that?”

Levi groaned, getting into the elevator with them. Unfortunately, they were all going to the same floor. “I don’t know, Hange.”

“He was so cute, though. I hope he didn’t go home. I hope he comes back. You should invite him over one day, Levi. We can play Monopoly. Though I get the feeling he wouldn’t know how to play.”

The elevator dinged, letting them out, and Levi just silently walked back to his office, not giving Hange the satisfaction of hearing his reply.

 

He was going to stab someone. Truly, truly stab someone.

The irritation that he felt all day had not once left. Eventually, Hange found the supposed videos that had made their way to the internet, and they wouldn’t stop mentioning the heroic way Levi had saved him.

“It’s fate!” they’d exclaim whenever the two crossed paths.

It was a rough day.

Eventually, ignoring the stares of his coworkers and the sounds of people watching his ‘heroic rescue’, the day ended. It was bordering past afternoon, the sun almost completely set, night dawning through his large, wide-scaled windows. Without a word to anyone, he grabbed his personal belongings and left.

When he walked out of the building’s front door and onto the sidewalk, chilled air on his face, he was barely surprised to see Eren standing there. 

As much as he’d told himself today that it all must be a dream, and that it would all go away soon, he was yet again proved wrong. At this point, he didn’t have anything to say. He was too exhausted to yell, and lately it was unlike him to show any overall emotions, even anger. He was apathetic towards almost anything, and with his reputation on the line, it was pointless to beat the kid to a pulp. Still, it didn’t stop him from being annoyed.

“What the fuck,” Eren greeted to the people walking by in the busy city, most businessman walking home for the day. He took some randoms by the shoulders, attempting to greet them as they passed, but they just shrugged him away or explicitly told him to piss off.

“Hey,” Levi called, tone flat and uninterested. "Stop greeting people by saying ‘what the fuck’. Fuck is a dirty word. Quit repeating it.” Well, it was more like Eren seemed too pure to be spitting the word out every time he spoke, but he figured saying it this way would actually get him to stop.

Eren covered his mouth with his hand. “Oh! I apologize for my mistake! I would never willingly say anything that is offensive to the way in which this society lives.” A curious pause. “Do we merely greet by tackling, then?” He looked like he was preparing himself to jump, and Levi sighed.

“No. Those were special circumstances. We greet by saying ‘hello’.”

Eren blinked, smiling vividly. “That’s wonderful! That’s how I usually greet others, too. Maybe there’s not such a large difference between my home and this city after all.”

Levi doubted that. 

The youth grinned, repeating his earlier introduction precisely. “Hello. I am Eren, first male nymph of the ocean, brother of nature, son of the gods.”

The man regarded him silently, expression plain. “Right.” He held out a hand to shake. “I’m Levi.”

But Eren, not knowing how to shake hands properly, only slipped his own hand into that outstretched palm, smile just as radiant as it had been all day. Fingers squeezed the other’s in acknowledgement.

“Levi.” The name rolled off his tongue, full of awe and admiration, feeling it on his lips.

“What a lovely name.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, Levi is 100% done with Eren. Poor guy. And Eren's really not going to leave him alone easily.
> 
> Anyways, next chapter will be in a couple of days. Eren is basically homeless, and Levi's apartment doesn't seem like a bad place to stay (whether Levi likes the idea or not) (✿◠‿◠)


	2. You've Got a Nymph In Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nymph's are apparently impossible to get rid of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So every chapter is going to be a famous saying/quote, but instead I'm going to replace one word with 'nymph'. Lmao, this chapter it's Toy Story's lovely, _You've Got a Friend In Me_. Oddly fitting.
> 
> Instead of being passionate about killing titans, in this world Eren is passionate about the environment! Oh, how fun. Ahaha hope you guys enjoy!

The one thing Levi knows for sure about Eren is that he knows nothing about anything modernized. As if he was born a thousand years ago, or perhaps has lived life in a hut on some secluded mountain.

“What’s that?” he asks every few minutes, pointing to something new and interesting, but Levi ignores him as they continue on. Eren doesn’t seem to notice, nor care that his questions are going unanswered. At some point, he stops in front of a small pet store to admire the animals, muttering an excited, _‘cat!’_ , before he realizes he’s falling behind. With one last look at the happy animals, Eren continues to follow the businessman.

Trost is a city too big for Levi’s comfort, but the walk between his home and work isn’t too far. It takes about fifteen full minutes everyday, and while the afternoon isn’t as bad as the mornings, it’s still a hectic and crowded route. 

Even without shoes, Eren doesn’t bother stepping away from small puddles and the occasional spilt drink, and Levi inwardly cringes the whole way there.  
Finally, Levi glances to the stranger, who seems to be eyeing anything and everything.

“Where do you live, kid?”

Eren looks at him. “I live within nature. Why do you ask?”

Levi scoffs. “No. Where do you reside? Like, where do you sleep?”

Eren thinks for a minute, bright green eyes growing distant and thoughtful. “My sisters taught me how to build nests within trees. They were quite comfortable. Made from large, broad leaves and the finest natural thread.” He hummed, seriously considering. “Though often I sleep within the sea. Underwater, the waves are very soothing. Whales talk a lot, but they’re much less distracting than the noise you have here.” Eren put up his hands, waving them slightly. “Though I don’t mean to offend you! I suppose noise is just part of your culture. I find it very intriguing.”

Levi was just staring at him. There was nothing to say to that.

Eren continued, clasping his hands together and giving a little, oblivious smile. “Being here now, though, I have no place of residence. I’m sure the sea misses me. I wish there were more canals here that reached the water.”

Levi finally stopped staring. He instead took a deep breath, staring into the setting sun that gleamed against a distant building, the shadows playing behind it.

“I wasn’t gonna ask you this, but… what the fuck are you on?”

The supposed nymph tilted his head. “What am I on? I am on the ground.”

Levi shook his head. “No. What kind of drugs are you on? Is it shrooms? Ecstasy? I don’t know what else brats like you are into these days.”

Eren shook his head. “I’ve never heard those words before, I apologize.” Then, his eyes lit up in false recognition. “Oh! Do you mean mushrooms? There are a few back where I’m from, but some can be quite harmful if you’re not careful.”

“For fuck’s sake,” the man mumbled, but it didn’t matter. He wasn’t walking back to his apartment, anyways. He was taking Eren to a police station, where they could call his parents or his college buddies and get his high-ass back home. He doesn’t need a stalker, nor the guilt of knowing a teenage kid was stupidly wandering the streets. He just wondered how Eren had stayed under the influence all day. Whatever he took must have been strong.

Levi was thinking about this when he heard loud voices, and he quickly noticed that Eren wasn’t walking beside him anymore. Instead he’d stopped about five paces back, hand wrapped around some random man’s wrist.

“Pick it up!” Eren demanded, though his voice was still somehow light and friendly. It was oddly endearing, and not the least bit intimidating. The stranger looked at him incredulously.

“Don’t fuckin’ touch me, you puny shithead.” Smoke was trailing off the cigarette he’d just tossed to the ground, and the stranger stomped it out, glaring at the brunette and his incredibly bare legs.

Eren wasn’t having it. “Do you know that 9 billion tons of litter end up in the ocean each year, and 50% of littered trash are these weird, smelly killing-sticks that you humans are so desperate to smoke?”

“Oi…” Levi groaned. The man who had littered looked like he was about to punch the kid. But Eren wasn’t stopping anytime soon.

“Do you know that, even while you assume your littering does nothing to harm anyone, the abundance of humans who do it adds to the world-wide tragedies to nature, and that _YOUR_ littering adds to the deaths and destruction of the natural world?”

Levi, who still lacked any emotion besides simple apathy, was still staring. The youth had been so blissful and naive earlier. Who knew he had a side like this? It was actually… refreshing. Levi felt a twitch at his lips, though he quickly shut it down.

“Tell this to your litter facts, you prick,” the man said, before attempting to throw a punch. Levi almost stepped forward, feeling his mind give the order the move, before the thrown fist was caught, directly in the center of Eren’s palm.

The man looked at him with surprise, but Eren was already twisting his arm onto his back and pinning him on the ground. His legs straddled him, and Levi was really thankful the coat was long enough to at least keep his front covered, though his ass was undoubtedly showing. 

“Promise you’ll never litter again!” Eren exclaimed, though it was more like a loud chirp.

“What the fu-?” 

“Promise me!” The nymph was tightening his hold on the twisted arm.

“Shit! Shit, alright. I’ll never litter again! I promise.”

Eren grinned, gave a light, full-hearted laugh, patted the man’s head playfully, and got up before looking at Levi.

“I’m done now.”

Levi nodded slowly, looking at the groaning stranger on the floor before turning back in their original direction. Eren whistled happily like nothing happened, leaving the gathering crowd behind them. 

“What was that?” Levi finally asked, deciding to ask while the topic was still fresh.

Thankfully Eren didn’t act like he didn’t know what the businessman was talking about. “Litter harms my home. I do not tolerate it. Pollution, too. Humans are so nice and wonderful, but they cause many problems for my home and other creatures of nature.”

Again, Levi just sort of nodded, a bit dazed. Where did the kid come up with this shit?

“Right,” was all he said in reply. It was his go-to ‘I don’t give a shit’ answer. 

When they walked in silence for a few more minutes, Eren pleasantly keeping towards the other’s side, he eventually turned to ask a question.

“Where are we going, Levi?”

Levi squinted his eyes, realizing he said ‘we’ and not ‘you’. But he didn’t snap at him in irritation. Instead, he answered truthfully, figuring he’d find his reaction amusing.

“We’re going to the police station.”

But Eren only blinked, and Levi frowned, finding his reaction unsatisfactory. “What’s that?”

Levi just hummed politely. “You’ll see when we get there.”

And only a minute later, as if right on time, they caught sight of a short two-story building at the corner of one of the streets. A parking garage sat across the street, but the afternoon sun made the area seem partially dead and almost quiet, though it probably wasn’t. Perhaps the citizens weren’t too fond about loitering before a police house.

The front door had the words, ‘Trost Police Department’, across the front, and Levi ushered Eren inside, indicating that he sit in one of the lobby seats. Eren complied, happily sitting before making conversation with the person beside him, who had frizzy hair and crazy eyes. Delightful.

Levi made his way to the counter, speaking to the employee behind the little glass window, who asked what he can help him with.

The ravenette explained his situation, beginning with the naked, drug-induced young adult who sat behind him, currently petting the frizzy-haired man’s head.

To which the worker replied, “Oh! Wasn’t it you two from that video today?”

Levi could only cringe in response. If a worker in a police station had seen it this fast, he wondered who else had.

“I suppose that was us, yes.”

He continued explaining that he doesn’t know the boy, yet Eren continues to follow him, and how he’s seemingly under the influence.

The employee nods and gets up, speaking to a policeman in the back of the office, pointing out to the lobby. The man in uniform exits from the back, and Levi gestures towards Eren, who is blissfully unaware of the situation. The officer tells him to come to the back so he can question him for a bit, and Eren stands, smiling grandly at him.

“Sure! And I will question you, too, kind man. How often do you recycle?”

And with that, Eren was whisked away to the back. Levi watched him go with little sentimentality, turning on his heel and exiting. It was sad to leave his coat behind, but he knew the boy needed it.

And with that, he made his way back to a life of normality and work.

 

Except that it wasn’t that easy.

Night eventually lifted in Trost, the black sky covering the city, lights shimmering along buildings and cars and advertisements. 

The first thing he did when he got home was take a shower. To rinse off the dirt from this morning, which had been making him twitch all day, and the general feeling of grime in the city. He got into a comfortable pair of sweatpants and made his way to his desk in the living room, silently going through paperwork.

It was a… nice life. Nice, being a word of many definitions. He enjoyed the quiet. No, he loved it. The walls were thick enough to keep away the honking cars below, and his apartment was high enough to stray from the city noise. He had a big day of meetings tomorrow and he couldn’t handle any more mindless distractions. he was especially glad that Mikasa hadn’t bothered him today. He would assume that she hadn’t seen those viral videos of his ‘heroic rescue’ this morning, and he was grateful.

But along with the quiet, it was also a lonely life. A life not really worth the effort.

Almost done with his work for the night, Levi suddenly heard a tapping at the window, low and quiet, yet somehow still excited. Slowly, he turned to stare at what was currently covered by curtains. Why would there be a tapping on his back patio…? It made no sense. His apartment was high. Unless one of the neighbors had somehow climbed over.

The thought made him pause with distress. It couldn’t be…

He got up, stumbled a bit, then quickly yanked back the curtains, only to reveal the boy with a dazzling smile and a small wave.

“Levi!” Eren called through the glass, grinning happily. “It’s me! Eren!”

 _I can see that, you imbecile_ , is how Levi wanted to reply, but instead he just closed his curtains.

Ha. He’d done so much work that he was hallucinating now.

The knocking started again. “Hey! Did you see me? Hello! It’s Eren, first male nymph of the ocean, brother of-”

Levi whipped open the curtains, looking back out the window with a glare.

“How’d you get out of the police department?”

Eren pointed to his ear and shook his head. Apparently Levi had been too annoyed to actually yell loud enough through the thick window, which was actually a sliding glass door.

With a deep sigh, Levi unlocked the door and slid it open. “Don’t you step foot inside my apartment, brat. Your feet are filthy, and you’re filthy.”

Eren just smiled and gave a small shrug. “Okay. Though I think you misinterpret the meaning of nature and mistake my body for filth, when instead I’ve just accepted the mark of this world.”

Levi squinted at him. “No. You’re just fuckin’ filthy. How’d you get out of the police station?”

Eren tilted his head. “They were very skeptical people. Very odd. They said I lied, but I don’t lie! They said I had a home, but they did not believe that my home is the ocean. Very doubtful.”

“So how’d you get out?” Levi urged, feeling his irritation rise.

“I am a spirit of nature. I am not subjected to one space.”

“Mhm,” the older replied, cynical and incredulous. “And how’d you find my apartment.”

“You have a very lovely scent, Levi. Strong, too.”

“How’d you get up here.?”

“Spirit of nature. I told you.”

“Okay.” Levi paused his round of questions. “ _Why_ did you come up here, then?”

For that, at least, Eren took a minute to respond to. “This city lacks appreciation for life and nature. I’ve come to change that. They never told me I couldn’t start my mission with a human.” At this, Eren seemed to grow pink along the cheeks, but he showed no signs of acknowledging the blush, instead keeping his smile.

“They?” Levi wasn’t too sure he wanted to hear the answer.

“The gods.” Eren paused, fidgeting now. “I’m not sure I’m supposed to tell you so much. I’m sorry.”

Levi sighed. “Whatever. It’s not like I believe this bullshit, anyways. Go home.” With that, he slammed the sliding glass door shut and closing the curtains. He blocked out the vision of Eren’s mouth opening, as if he had more to say, instead turning back to his desk with a deep sigh.

“What’s this?” came a voice from behind him, and he turned to see a hand touching his flat-screen television.

Levi stared for a moment before gathering his senses, eventually walking over to slap Eren’s hand. “Don’t touch that with your grimy little hand! I told you to go home!” He didn’t even want to think about Eren’s feet as they waded across his nice, wooden floors.

“Home is too far. I have to stay within the city.” Fingers began messing with the buttons on a blu-ray player. “What is this, Levi?”

Levi cursed, running a hand through his head. The brat just kept showing up. No matter where he was, or how far away, Eren could just materialize before him. He wasn’t sure what kind of magic trick it was, but he generally had no energy to argue this much. To keep denying the ‘nymph’ would just keep him up longer, and he needed as much sleep as he could get.

“Fuck,” he mumbled, before grabbing Eren’s wrist and taking him to the bathroom. From just wearing the coat all day, Eren’s legs had little spots of black dirt, and his feet were undoubtedly gross. He started the shower, answering Eren this time when he excitedly asked, ‘What’s that?’

“It’s a shower. You’re going to take one to get clean.”

Eren was restless on his toes. “I didn’t know the city had bodies of water! Can I sleep in here? Can this container fill to the top?”

He was referring to square interior of the glass shower, but it of course couldn’t keep stacked water contained. He did, however, have a large, circular bathtub, which was much wider than any normal tub. 

“Tell you what. If you shower in here,” he indicated towards the shower, “and you wash off all that filt… I mean, all that dirt, then I’ll fill up the bathtub with water,” he indicated towards the tub, “and you can get in when you’re all done and clean.”

Eren clasped his hands together, reaching forward to perhaps embrace the man, but he stopped him.

“No. I don’t touch dirty people, Eren.”

Eren nodded, but the smile (as always), still remained. “I appreciate your hospitality my friend Levi, man of the city and lover of cleanliness.”

Levi grunted, merely ignoring the comment and showing Eren the controls on the shower, describing how to turn it off. He gave him, in great detail, instructions on how to scrub and what soap and hair products he should be using. He pointed to a hamper and told him to put the coat there before getting it.

When he was done with his lengthy explanation, Levi dragged himself to the living room, where he would spend a few minutes mopping over wherever Eren had previously stepped. He felt exhausted, more than he had in ages, yet oddly amused. He just hoped, for the sake of his own mentality, that everything would be back to normal by tomorrow.

He didn’t go to sleep until he heard the shower shut off about ten minutes later, and then the soft, soothing splash of someone entering the bathtub.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, so far we just have a lot of back and forth banter between the two dorks. Writing this is honestly so much fun. 
> 
> Next chapter we meet Mikasa, which is... always intense (◕‿◕✿)


End file.
